Automatic light control for adjustable searchlights



Oct. 21 1924. V 1,512,037

' J. K. OLSEN .AUTOMA' IIC LIGHT CONTROL FOR ADJUSTABLE SEARCHLIGHTS Filed Jan. 24. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1.

1 5 Mn w: j mag/J Get. 21 1924. 1,512,037

J. K. OLSEN AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL FOR ADJUSTABLE SEARCHLIGHTS Oct. 21 1924. 1,512,037

J. K. OLSEN AUTOMATIC LIGHT- CONTROL FOR'ADJUSTABLE SEARCHLIGHTS Filed Jan. 24; 1923 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K. OLSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE TO STEWART-WARNER SPEEDOM- ETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL FOR ADJUSTABLE SEARCI-ILIGHTS.

Application filed January 24, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN K. OLSEN, a cit izen of the United States having residence in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Light Controls for Adjustable Searchlights, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accgmpanying drawings, forming a part there- 0 The purpose of this invention is to provide a dirigible Searchlight such as that employed on an automobile with means 7 which shall automatically prevent the concentrated beam of the Searchlight from being projected in certain predetermined directions. More specifically the invention is concerned with a searchlight which includes an electric lamp as the source of light and in which the control of the projected beam is effected by electrical switching means operated automatically by the bodily ad justment of the lamp casing in changing the I direction of the beam. The invention therefore consists in various features and elements of construction and in their combination as hereinafter described in thedrawings and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings:'

Figure 1 is an elevation of a searchlight and mounting embodying this invention but showing the lamp body turned at right angles to its more usual position of use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section at the vertical axial plane through the swivel connection between the lamp-supporting bail and its base, being taken as indicated at the line 22 on Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the base for the bail taken as indicated at the line 3-3 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail section of the trun-- nion connection between the lamp body and the bail taken as indicated at the line 41 on Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail section of the trunnion connection and including a part of the electrical connections therethrough extending into the lamp body, being taken in the same vertical plane as Serial No. 614,557.

complete the circuit as indicated by a broken line connecting with Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a diametric perspective view indicating the adjustable electrical connections in the lamp which are carried in the lamp body and in the supporting bail, said g body and bail being omitted from the diagram.

Figure 8 is a detail section taken as indicated at the line 88 on Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a detail View of the switch connection at the body trunnion positioned to light the lamp.

Figure 10 is a detail view of the parts shown in Figure 9 adjusted to disconnect the lamp.

Figure 11 is a detail view of the switch connection at the bail swivel in position to light the lamp.

Figure 12 is a detail view of the parts shown in Figure 11 adjusted for disconnecting the lamp.

Figure 1-3 is a diametric side elevation of the searchlight mounted on a motor vehicle and indicating the vertical range of the dark zone controlled by the devices of this invention.

Figure 14 is a front elevation of the same indicating the cross-sectional outline of the dark zone.

Figure 15 is a diagrammatic plan view of the Searchlight mounted on a vehicle indicating the lateral range of the dark zone.

Referring first to Figures 13, 1 1 and 15, it will be understood that the usual position for mounting a searchlight or so-called spotlight on a motor vehicle is at one side of the front window or windshield, A, and within convenient reach of the drivers hand so that he may adjust the lamp body, 1., from time to time for throwing a strong and concentrated beam of light uponthe road, or upon any object in the vicinity as desired. For illustration of this invention the lamp is shown as universally mounted by means of a bail, 2, in which the body, 1, is

, in which the lamp filame the vehicle.

trunnioned at 3, 3, and which is itself swivelly connected by a horizontal pivotal mounting to base member, 1, secured to the vertical body member, 5, in which the windshield, A, is carried. Thus in adjusting the lamp to direct its beam, the driver may turn the'bail, about its horizontal pivot in the base, 1, or hemay swing the beam through a lateral range by turning the lamp body, 1, upon its trunnions, 8, in the use ot such a lamp there is always danger tit. its strong and concentrated beam may be projected into the eves of pedestrian or into t 1':

or" the driver of an approaching vehicle may so confuse or startle such person as to result in a serious accident. The present invention provides for autom tically throwing off the electric current by which the of the searchlight lighted whenever the lame body, 1, is adjusted in a position in which it would otherwise cast a beam directly ahead of the vehicle on which it is mounted and within a limited vertical range inwhich it might glare in the eyes of persons in or near the path of the vehicle. In other words, I undertake to produce a conical or conoidal Zone of darkness having its vertex substantially in the lamp body, 1, and extending through space forwai ly and in an approximately horizontal. direction from This zone ot darkness is indicated at in Figures 13, 1d and 15. while the adjacent space, C, filled with broken lines radiating from the lamp body, 1, to indicate tie range outside the zone of darkness in which the lam will be operative.

is shown in Figures 2 and 7, the lamp base, 6. is oil: a so-called sirq'le contact type 7, has one end connected to si a central contact, 8., pro jecting from the end of the cylindrical base while the other end of filament is connected to the shell, 9, or the base, so that the lamp circuit will include the socket, 10, and other metallic oi": the lamp body, in other words, one side of the circuit is grounded,in the present instance through the metallic reflector, 11, lamp body,1, and hail, 2. The switch connections for controlling the beam of the searchi ht occur in the circuit leat from tee i siu'iported in an insulat g by bracket arm,

torned int iii the socket, 10, .i engages the nset, 8, as shown in ure 7, An integ al portion ot the arm, 12,

contact, 8. ill

extends as a conductor strip, 15, within the suitable lead wire as hereinafter described.

second path for the electric current rlut a is provided by conductor strip, 22', in the arm o1 the bail and contacting with a, pin, 23, in the lamp body trunnion.

Xtends through an enlarged clearance Qwure, 2 1, in the conductor strip, 20, and i lally through the disk, 17, being 'ulated therefrom, thence through an reaches a contact spring, 26, which is clipped to the conductor, 15, in electrical contact therewith at 27. At the swivel mounting of the bail on its base, 4, the terminal portion, 28, ot the strip, 22, engages a disk, 29,.

thus interrupting the electric circuit of the,

ture, in conductor, 15, said pin Said pin,

which is fixed to the base, 4, but which carries a diametrically inset insulating section, 30, so th t when the bail, 2, is rotatably adjusted w'th respect to its base, 4, the cont terminal, 28, will traverse the disk, 29,

= l may r gister upon the insulation, 30,

- the circuit through the conthe strips, 20 and 22, it will be seen that the lamp filament, 7, will be deprived of electri' cal energy only when the parts are so adjusted that both the insulating insets, 18 and 30, are in registration with the corre sponding contacts, 16 and 28, respectively This condition and the angular extent of the insulating insets determines the angular range of the dark Zone, B. Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 are d'anietric views showing certa1n positions of the spring contacts with relation to the disks, L! and 29. In Figure 9 theira 'ments of the base. l; and cover {glassor lens, '1 of the lamp body,,1, are directly opposite indicating that the lamp has turned to dir beam of light integrally from the vehicle; this relation of the parts is shown fully in Figure 1, and from Figure 9 it will be noted that with this adjustment the contact spring, 16, rests upon a live area of the CllSlL 17, and thus would insure that the lamp would be lighted, In Figure 10, the lens, 1?, is swung at.

angles to the base, 4, indicating'an adjust ment of the lamp like that shownin Figure 15 and in which the contactspring, 16, rests 8 With the double circuit arovidedthrou h r litllO upon the insulatinginset, 18, and would" shut off the light providing the other path for the current through the supplemental contact spring, 26, were also out 01f, as is the case within a certain vertical range of adjustment. Figure 11 shows the lens, 1, in a relation to the base, 4, which would exist if the lamp were turned downwardly, as for use in reading a road map or handling tools on the running board in repair work; in this position it will beseen that the contact spring, 28, bears upon a live area of the disk, 29, which is associated with the base, 4. But when the lamp is swung to project its beam horizontally as indicated by the position of the lens, 1*, in Figure 12, the contact spring, 28, is carried on to the in sulating inset, 30, so as to shut off the light providing the adjusting on the trunnions, 3, 3, is such as to break the circuit through the conductor strip, 20, and contact spring, 16, as indicated in Figure 10.

The details of construction to accomplish the foregoing results are indicated mainly in Figures 2, 4, 5 and 6. Figure 2 shows the bail, 2, formed with a central hollow spindle portion, 31, which rotatably engages the bore of the base, 4, with a washer, 32, of fiber or other yielding material interposed between the shoulders, 2 and 4 of said parts. This pivotal connection is held together by a hollow bolt, 33, whose reduced end portion, 34, is spun over at 35 upon a washer, 36, to retain a larger spring washer, 37, which furnishes the desired amount of friction upon the washer, 32, for holding the parts at any adjusted position. Within the hollow bolt, 33, the stem, 38, of the disk, 29, is carried in a sleeve, 39, of insulating material, and said stem is bored to accommodate the contact pin, 21, and its spring. 40. W'ithin the hollow rectangular chamber, 41, in the base, 4, there is positioned non-rotatably a rectangular block or tablet, 42, of insulating material having an inset, 43, in which is mounted a clamping screw, 44, whose head overlaps the edge of a circularly formed contact clip, 45, to which the lead wire, 46, is attached. This clip, 45, is formed with specially shaped apertures,45 to interlock with the slotted end of the stem, 38, so as to hold the latter against rotation and thus keep the disk, 29, in fixed relation to the base, 4. Since the base, 4, may not always .be mounted in a perfectly vertical position but may be inclined to fit the in- 01111313101101 the windshield frame, it may be necessary to .compensate for this inclination by turning the stem, 38, with respect to the base, 4, so as to keep the dark zone, B, substantially horizontal, though not necessarily at right angles to the base, 4. To do this the screw, 44, is loosened to permit turning the clip, 45, and the stem, 38, which is interlocked with it; when the angular adjustment is made the screw, 44, is again tightened to retain the'part's.

As shown in Figure 2, the insulation of the conducting stem, 38, and the clip, 45, is completed by an insulating washer, 47, covering the spun-flange, 35, of the bolt 33, and a washer, 48, interposed between the head of the bolt and the disk, 29. Preferably to permit disassembling the joint between the bail, 2, and the base, 4, the bolt, 33, is made with a separable head portion,

49,- and removable flange, 50, which are accessible in a recess, 51, of the bail, 2, after removal of the conductor strip, 20, and with control of the disk, 29.

As indicated in Figures '2 and 8, theconductor strips, 20 and 22, are separated from each other and from the walls of the channel, 52, in the bail, 2, by suitably formed insulating pieces, 53, and are secured therein by screws, 54.

F igure 5 shows a construction of the trunnion, 3, whereby it houses the electrical connections and also functions in the cortrol of the light afforded through the disk, 17, and contact spring, 16. Said trunnion is formed with a diametral slot, 3, and

instead of having a completely circular hole to receive the trunnion, the bail arm, 2, contains a pair of apertures, 55, fitting to the remaining cross section, 56, of the slotted trunnion as shown in Figure 4. At its inner end within the shell or lamp body, 1, the trunnion is provided with a head, 57, and its shank is hollowed out forming a chamber, 58, which connects with the slot, 3. The head, 57, bears against a springwasher, 59, lodged in the boss, 1", of the lamp body and a cap nut, 60, on the outer end of the trunnion, 3, tensions the washer, 59, to secure adequate friction against the friction washer, 61. which is interposed be tween the outside of the boss, 1", and the inner surface of the bail arm, 2; this: tends to retain the lamp body at any position of adjustment on the trunnion.

The slot, 3, of the trunnion, 3, is wide enough to admit the end portions of the conductors, 20 and 22, with their insulating strips, 53, and the chamber, 58. accommodates the spring, 19, coiled about the hollow stem. 62, of the disk, 17. The disk is lodged in an insulating washer, 63, and is bored to carry the conductor pin, 23, in a bushing, 64, of insulating material. Said disk, 17, is interlocked with the trunnion, by the radially extending portions of its inset, 18, which engage in notches, 65, in the counterbored head, 57, of the trunnion. Thepressure of the spring arm, 16, will be sufficient to hold the disk, 17, and the inset. 18, in this relation in the head of the trunnion.

To steady the conductor arm, 15, and whose end portion, 16, contacts with the disk, 17, and to cause said arm to move always with the lamp body, 1, when the latter is rotatably adjusted onthe trunnion, 3, an

I upstanding lug, 66, is formed on the spring washer, 59, and carries a tube, 67, of insulating material which extends through apertures, 68 and 69, in the arm, 15, and the conductor spring, 26, associated with it. It may be understood that the assembly or adjustment of the parts within the lamp body is readily accomplished upon removingthe detachable rear cover, 1. I claim 1- V 1.; An electric Searchlight for Vehicles comprising a lamp body and lamp holding means thereon; a support on which the lamp body is mounted for angular adjustment, the support being mounted forangular adjustment in a plane at right angles to that of the first mentioned adjustment, one of said adjustments being about a vertical and the other about a horizontal axis; an electric circuit in which the lamp is energized comprising contacts carried by the parts respectively at said joints respectively posi tioned for separation to interrupt the circuit throughout predetermined angular ranges of said adjustments respectively, the circuit being shunted in parallel through said two pairs of contacts respectively whereby co-incident adjustment about said vertical and horizontal axes to said angular ranges respectively causes extinguishment of the lamp.

2. An electric searchlight comprising a shell having a lamp therein, a yoke provided 7 with trunnions supporting the shell, a base on which the yoke is rotatably mounted, means for energizing the lamp, and means controlled by movement of said shell on said trunnions and by movement of the yoke on the base for extinguishing the light when said lamp body isin a position to direct the light straight ahead, said means also maintaining a dark zone centered upon a straight ahead direction.

3. An electric searchlight comprising a shell mounted for limited motion about two axes normal to each other, and having a lamp therein, means for supplying current to the lamp comprising circuit making and breaking contacts carried respectively by the relative movement of the parts constituting said joint, and positioned thereon for being separated to interrupt the lamp energizing circuit through substantially extended relatively small vertical and horizontal ranges of said adjustments,

t, An electric searchlight for vehicles comprising in combination. with a'lamp body and. a lamp therein a yoke by which the lamp is immediately supported and a support by which the yoke is carried, the lamp being pivoted to the yoke and the yoke to the support, said pivots being one vertical and the other horizontal, an electric circuit in which thelamp is ei'iergizmiv comprising a conducting member insulated on the. lamp tions between the (two branches ofthe. two,

conductors respectively carried on the lamp body for maintaining contact for electrical connection between said branches respectively, throughout angular movement, one

of said connections being axial with'respect :7

to the pivot of the lamp on the yoke and the other comprising a disk encompassing said pivot and having an insulating area of lim ited extent angularly about said pivot, whereby the circuit through one otsaid branches is, interrupted throughout a predetermined angular range of adjustment'of the lamp about its pivot to the yoke, the two conductor brancheson the, yoke extending respectively to an axial and a circumaxial contact at the pivot of the yoke to: the sup sulating area of limited angular extent, the conductor branch 1n contact w th said circumaxial element being the one which is:

connected with the axial connector at the pivot of the lampto the yoke; whereby the lamp is extinguished only throughout the co-incidence of a range of contact of said conductor branches respectively with the in-.

sulating areas of the circumaxial contacts at said pivots respectively. I I

5. In an electric Searchlight for vehicles comprising in combination with a lamp body and a lamp thereina ,yoke by which the lamp is immediately supported and a support by which the yoke is carried, the pivots of the lamp to the yoke and of the yoke to the support being one vertical and the other horizontal, the lamp body having asocket for the lamp, the yoke having concentric port, the circumaxial contact having an inwith the pivot of the lamp body thereto two conductors insulated iromeach other, and

the yoke having two conductors insulated I from eachother extending therein from the pivot-of the lamp body to the yoke, to the pivot of the yoke to the support, the circuit comprising a conductor carried by the" socket insulated therefrom at one end and having the other end branched, the branches making contact. respectively with said concentric V conductors at one end of the latter, the other ends making contact'respectivelywith said insulated conductors in the yoke, the circuit comprising also ground connections insulated from each other on the support con centric, with the pivot of the yoke thereto, with which groundconnections respective y the two insulated conductors in the yoke make contact, the outer of said two colleen-,1 i

tric conductors on the yoke and on the support respectively, having 7 insulating segments for interrupting the circuit throughout limited angles :01" the rotationof. the

lamp hedyin the. yoke and of yoke in the support, each of said conductors in the predetermined limited. angular adjustment yoke being in contact with the central conof the yoke in the support.

ductor at one pivot and with the outer con- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 10 ductor at the other pivot; whereby the cirmy hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 19 day cuit is interrupted throughout a predeterof January, 1928.

mined limited angular range of adjustment of the lamp in the yoke coincident With a JOHN K. OLSEN. 

